| abstract |
The Wnt signaling pathways are involved in embryo development as well as in M tumorigenesis. Dishevelled (DvI) tra®'duces Wnt signals from the receptor Frizzled (Fz) to downstream components in canonical and non-canonical Wnt signaling pathways, and the DvI , PDZ domain plays an essential role in both pathways, and the DvI PDZ .domain binds directly to Fz receptors. In the present invention using NMR-assisted virtual ligand screening, several compounds were identified and were found to bind to the DvI PDZ domain. Molecular dynamics simulation was used to analyze the binding between the PDZ domain and these compounds in detail. These compounds provide a basis for rational design of high-affinity inhibitors of the PDZ domain, which can block Wnt signaling by interrupting the Fz-DvI interaction. |